In view of the unprecedented situation arising out of country-wide lockdown declared by the Government consequent to the outbreak of COVID-19, it is clarified that the central Government employees who are attaining the age of superannuation on 31st March, 2020 in terms of Fundamental Rule 56 and due to retire, shall retire from Central Government service on 31st March, 2020, irrespective of whether they are working from home or working from office.

10:37 PM

Tamil Nadu reports biggest single-day jump

Tamil Nadu saw the highest spike in cases on Tuesday with 57 new people testing positive for the novel Coronavirus. Of the 57 cases, 50 were people who had attended the religious congregation in Delhi’s Nizamuddin area, Tamil Nadu Health Secretary, Dr Beela Rajesh said.

10:26 PM

Second COVID-19 death in Kerala, 7 more test positive

Kerala Tuesday reported its second COVID-19 death and seven new cases of coronavirus as the state government announced a special action plan for Kasaragod, which has become a hot spot for the infection, including monitoring of all fever cases in the district.

10:21 PM

Maharashtra: Migrant workers staying in a shelter home in Nagpur allege that it lacks basic utilities

Maharashtra:Migrant workers staying in a shelter home in Nagpur allege that it lacks basic utilities.A worker says,… https://t.co/ircXYydvKm

23 COVID19 positive cases reported in Delhi today, taking the total number of cases in the national capital to 120: Delhi Health Department

10:03 PM

Some of the important features and time limits which get extended by this Ordinance are as under: -Direct Taxes & Benami acts:

Extension of last date of filing of original as well as revised income-tax returns for the FY 2018-19 (AY 2019-20) to 30th June, 2020.

Extension of Aadhaar-PAN linking date to 30th June, 2020.

The date for making various investment/payment for claiming deduction under Chapter-VIA-B of IT Act which includes Section 80C (LIC, PPF, NSC etc.), 80D (Mediclaim), 80G (Donations), etc. has been extended to 30th June, 2020. Hence the investment/payment can be made up to 30.06.2020 for claiming the deduction under these sections for FY 2019-20.

09:55 PM

Two more test positive for coronavirus; total cases in Chandigarh rise to 15

After Yogi's ire, Noida firm linked to over two dozen cases sealed

The administration on Tuesday sealed a private company in Noida which is under government scanner after around two dozen coronavirus cases were traced to it, according to an official order.

The development comes a day after Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath visited the Gautam Buddh Nagar district, the hotspot of coronavirus cases in the state, and reprimanded officers for not being able to check the spread of the disease.

09:29 PM

Total number of confirmed cases rises to 1397

Death toll due to COVID-19 rises to 35Total number of patients discharged/cured 124

09:18 PM

The 7 members of Shillong Markaz who attended the Tablighi Jamaat Meet in Nizamuddin have not returned to Meghalaya. It is confirmed that 5 are currently in Delhi and 2 are in Lucknow.

09:06 PM

2100 foreigners visited India for Tablighi activities this year: MHA

The government on Tuesday said 2,100 foreigners visited India for Tablighi activities since January 1 and all of them first reported at Tablighi Jammat's headquarters at Nizamuddin, which has apparently become a coronavirus hotspot.

09:03 PM

Shillong administration announced curfew from March 31 to April 3

08:55 PM

6 persons have tested positive for coronavirus in Bihar:

6 persons have tested positive for #Coronavirus in Bihar. 4 are from Siwan, and 1 each from Gopalganj &amp; Gaya: State… https://t.co/6OXEY9VPYM

Suhas, who took charge as the DM at 5 in the morning, has replaced Brijesh Narain Singh, who was shunted out within hours of a meeting with UP CM.

Noida is state's worst COVID-19 hit district with 38 cases so far.

Assuming the charge of the COVID-19 hotspot, the 36-year-old IAS officer appealed to the people of Noida and Greater Noida to stay indoors.

08:33 PM

45 people from Tamil Nadu who attended the gathering at Nizamuddin Markaz in Delhi, have been tested positive for COVID19: Beela Rajesh Health Secretary, Tamil Nadu

08:32 PM

Rajya Sabha Secretariat staff to contribute part of salaries to PM CARES Fund

08:23 PM

Tamil Nadu reports 57 new cases in a single day: total touches 124, says state Government

08:22 PM

NMDC Limited to advance royalty payment of Rs 200 crore to the Chhattisgarh government

08:05 PM

LIC contributes Rs 105 crore towards PM-CARES Fund

08:01 PM

Services of retiring cops extended till May 31 in Punjab

08:00 PM

Tunisia releases 1,420 prisoners over coronavirus

07:46 PM

Over 10,000 suspected Covid-19 patients shifted to hospitals

GVK Emergency Management and Research Institute, which operates ambulances in 15 states and two Union Territories in the country on Tuesday said over 10,000 people with suspected COVID-19 symptoms were transferred through their med-equipped vehicles in all the operating states put together as on March 30.

07:34 PM

ITBP contributes one day salary of troops to PM-CARES Fund

"An amount of Rs 10,53,58,479 has been electronically transferred to the PM-CARES account. This amount is the one day salary of the troops and other staffers of the force," ITBP spokesperson Vivek Kumar Pandey said.

07:13 PM

Assam's first covid-19 patient a 52 year person

Health minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said the patient is undergoing treatment at Silchar medical college and his condition is stable.

07:12 PM

COVID-19 cases in Maharashtra jump to 302, biggest rise in single day

As many as 72 new coronavirus cases were detected in Maharashtra on Tuesday.

59 of them in Mumbai alone, taking the total number of COVID-19 patients in the state to 302.

This is the largest increase in the number of cases within a day probably in the country, the state official said.

Besides Mumbai, Ahmednagar reported three cases, while two cases each came to light in Pune, Thane, Vasai, Virar and Kalyan-Dombivali cities.

07:09 PM

Amarinder apprises Bihar CM of arrangements made for migrant labourers

Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh apprised his Bihar counterpart Nitish Kumar on Tuesday of arrangements being made by his government for the welfare of migrant workers in the state.

"We are taking care of people from Bihar and other states and giving them food and ensuring daily wages to them from the industry," Singh told Kumar.

He also asked the Bihar chief minister to assure the families of the migrant workers of their well being.

07:08 PM

Odisha Government to defer 70 per cent salary of CM, MLAs chairpersons of local bodies and 50 per cent of IAS, IPS and IFS.

Spain sees record 849 deaths but downward trend on track

After Italy, Spain has suffered the world's second most deadly outbreak which has now claimed 8,189 lives there.

The latest figures came a day after the death toll fell slightly, raising hopes the epidemic could be peaking.

06:40 PM

Massive increase in Maharashtra from 230 it has reached to 302 cases. 59 in Mumbai alone today

06:33 PM

54 people from Karnataka attended religious congregation at Delhi

As many as 54 people,including a COVID-19 fatal victim, had attended the religious congregation at Delhi

The process is on to identify and quarantine them, the Karnataka government said on Tuesday.

In a tweet, Health Minister B Sriramulu said 13 of them have been identified and placed under quarantine.

06:28 PM

One COVID19 patient died in Kerala today, he was from Thiruvananthapuram. 7 more persons have tested positive (2 from Thiruvananthapuram, 2 from Kasaragod, 1 each from Thrissur, Kollam & Kannur). Total cases in state are 215 (excluding those discharged).

- CM Pinarayi Vijayan

06:28 PM

A woman and her two children have tested positive for COVID19 in Sirsa. The woman has been admitted to a hospital in Rohtak while her 2 children are in a hospital here: Viresh Bhushan, Deputy Chief Medical Officer, Sirsa

06:26 PM

Not the time to find faults but to take action: Health Minister official on Nizamuddin congregation

The Health Ministry on Tuesday said it was not the time to find faults but to take action.

The Delhi Police has cordoned off a major area in Nizamuddin West.

Many people showed symptoms of coronavirus after taking part in the Tabligh-e-Jamaat held earlier this month that was attended by over 2,000 people.

06:23 PM

NFR to convert 315 coaches into isolation wards

The Northeast Frontier Railway on Tuesday said it will convert 315 coaches into isolation wards to supplement medical requirements for treating COVID-19 patients.

The converted coaches will be equipped with basic facilities needed for isolation as per medical guidelines.

06:07 PM

There is strong & robust cooperation amongst our medical specialists the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) and the Centers for Disease Control & Prevention (USA). India and United States are helping each other: Taranjit Singh Sandhu, India's Ambassador to US.

05:57 PM

Global count crosses 8 lakh, total cases now 801,117

05:54 PM

Kerela: Kochi Metro services will remain closed till April 14, in view of the nationwide lockdown aimed at combating COVID-19. This has been done to make sure that people stay at home & practice social distancing: Alkesh Kumar Sharma, Managing Director, Kochi Metro Rail Limited

05:51 PM

Sierra Leone records first coronavirus case

Sierra Leone has recorded its first case of the new coronavirus, the government said on Tuesday, making it the latest African country to register an infection.

In a televised press conference, President Julius Maada Bio said that a 37-year-old man who arrived in the country from France on March 16 had tested positive.

The man had been quarantined on arrival in the West African state, Bio said.

"It was not a matter of whether, but when. Ladies and gentlemen, the when is here," the president said.

Sierra Leone had been one of the few countries in Africa to have reported zero cases, despite neighbouring Guinea and Liberia having detected infections.

05:50 PM

Elderly man among two COVID-19 patients discharged in Chandigarh

Two COVID-19 patients, including
an elderly man, were discharged on Tuesday from the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) here in Chhattisgarh following their recovery, hospital authorities said.

A 68-year-old man from Raipur and a 33-year-old man from Bhilai in Durg district were discharged from the hospital a week after they tested positive, Dr Karan Peepre, Medical Superintendent, AIIMS, told PTI.

The two were admitted to the government-run hospital in the state capital after they tested positive for the novel coronavirus on March 25, he said.

05:44 PM

A 57-year-old man has tested positive for COVID-19 in Kolkata, West Bengal. The patient is from North 24 Parganas and has no travel history: Zenith Super speciality Hospital

05:44 PM

Crammed in filthy cells, political prisoners fear infection

Reza Khandan got the word from friends locked away in Iran's most feared prison, Evin. A prisoner and a guard in their cell block had been removed because they were suspected of having coronavirus, and two guards in the women's ward had shown symptoms.

It was frightening news. Khandan's wife, Nasrin Sotoudeh, one of Iran's most prominent human rights lawyers, is imprisoned in that ward in close quarters with 20 other women. Only days earlier, the 56-year-old Sotoudeh — known for defending activists, opposition politicians and women prosecuted for removing their headscarves — had held a five-day hunger strike demanding prisoners be released to protect them from the virus.

“The virus has entered the jail, but we don't know the extent of it,” Khandan, who had until recently been imprisoned in Evin as well, told The Associated Press by phone from Tehran.

"It will be impossible to control," Khandan warned.

05:31 PM

National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) officials across the country have decided to voluntarily contribute their one day salary to PM-CARES Fund to strengthen the nation’s fight against COVID-19.

05:30 PM

We are researching to find another polymer than polypropylene, which is currently being used to manufacture Personal Protective Equipment (PPEs), so that we can produce reusable PPEs

- Shekhar C. Mande, Director-General, Council of Scientific and Industrial Research

05:22 PM

227 new COVID-19 cases, 3 deaths in last 24 hours: Govt

As many as 227 new coronavirus cases and three deaths have been reported in the last 24 hours, the Centre said on Tuesday.

A total of 1,251 cases have been reported in the country so far.

"227 new cases of COVID-19 and three deaths have been reported in the last 24 hours, thus, taking the total number of confirmed cases to 1,251 and the number of deaths to 32 in the country," Lav Aggarwal, Joint Secretary, Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, told media here.

05:19 PM

Important points from Delhi CM Kejriwal's briefing today:

Out of the 97 cases in Delhi, 24 cases are from Markaz, Nizamuddin. 41 have travel history to foreign countries and 22 are family members of the foreign travelers. 10 cases yet to be ascertained. No local community transmission right now

Delhi Govt wrote to Lieutenant Governor for registration of FIR in this case, I have full hope he will give orders soon. If any negligence is found on part of any officers then action will be taken against them also

Till now 1,548 people have been brought out of Markaz (Nizamuddin), 441 of them were symptomatic. They have been shifted to hospitals and their tests are being conducted. 1,107 who did not show symptoms have been sent to quarantine

05:17 PM

Jharkhand reports first COVID-19 positive case

A Malaysian national has tested positive in Jharkhand. She was sent to isolation at Khel Gaon from Hindpidi area, Ranchi: Health Secretary Jharkhand, Nitin Madan Kulkarni